Sunday, July 3, 2016

Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtownThe first time I heard of Sub Noir Brewing Company was a little under three years ago, when a group of friends converged at the corner of Fayetteville and Davie streets in downtown Raleigh for Brewgaloo. We all had a different game plan for the afternoon. Mine was to hit up as many "outside of the Triangle" breweries as possible with my handful of wooden sampler tokens.It was there that one of my friends mentioned that I had to try the beers produced by a small Raleigh brewery – Sub Noir, a brewery ran by Michael and Amy Stagner. He said that they do a ginger Tripel and a Flanders Red that I must try. This was around that time that sours piqued my interest. So, if my friend, whose opinion I trust in beer, says to check out this brewery – than I will.Related Story: Raleigh's Sub Noir Brewing celebrates year one with a bangWalking down Fayetteville Street that afternoon, I sampled a lot of beers. Some good. Some bad. New places like Raleigh Brewing Company and Deep River Brewing Company were some of the good breweries I remember. By the time I made my way to Sub Noir, there was a long line to sample the beer. Instead of getting one beer and going back in line, I used two tokens to try both the Tripel and Flanders, using both mine and Jen's plastic pint glasses. My first thought was this was so much different than most of the other beers I tried that day. Original. Different. Something other than the norm.

And three years later, Sub Noir is doing the same thing as when it started the first day I sampled its beer.We were there to celebrate with Sub Noir on their 1-year anniversary, but missed the following year while on vacation in Michigan. But we made sure we were on hand to celebrate with the gang on its 3-year party held on June 18.The beer lineup, as always was pretty solid for this event. There were some of the old school favorites such as Eccentrica (that ginger Tripel I tried in the beginning), Violet Beauregard (Flanders Red with Blueberries) and the Cassis (Flanders Red with Black Currant). And there were also a few new selections on the board just for the celebration.How about the Brett on a Hop Tin Roof? A sour IPA with Oolong tea from Tin Roof Teas of Raleigh. Or maybe, Zee Earl. A take on Sub Noir's popular chocolate stout made with Count Chocula cereal – but this incarnation was infused with Earl Grey tea. But my favorite of the afternoon was the Double-Dry Hopped Sucker Punch. This sour was dry-hopped using Citra and Mosaic hops, and was a nice beer to enjoy on a sunny afternoon.As the day continued, Sub Noir trapped a couple unique caskales – a sour stout with cherries and a Flanders Red aged in apple brandy oak barrels. Although we didn't get to try either of the beers on casks, a look upon Untappd showed that they were both a popular hit. As well as the photos posted on Facebook of the line out the door to grab a pint.

Cheers to everyone at Sub Noir on celebrating three years. We hope to be there when you celebrate your fourth! Sub Noir Brewing Company is located at 2039 Progress Court in Raleigh. They are open Friday, 5 p.m. - 12 p.m.; Saturday 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.